The Contract
by inlovewithimpossibility
Summary: "The clause was written so long ago that it was legal then and now it's a legal binding contract that must be fulfilled. We've looked at it every possible way we can honey, there's no way out of it." Rachel and Puck find themselves in an unusual situation.
1. what did you just say?

Rachel smiled as she sat in the rocking chair, little Caroline in her arms. Noah was due back from work in around an hour and she was excited to see her handsome husband. She'd loved spending every waking moment with Caroline but she missed being surrounded by people that could answer back when she spoke. She didn't regret her break from work though. The little miracle in her arms was perfect and all Rachel and Noah could ask for. She thought back to how she had ended up in this situation and sighed heavily. To think it had all started in junior year, to their knowledge anyway.

::: ::: :::

She returned home from school that day, happy for the first time in a while. Sure, Finn and Quinn were dating again and it physically pained her to see them together, but she had friends now. Friends who liked her for her, and not just her voice. She had someone who would sit next to her in every class voluntarily and she hung out with Mercedes, Noah and sometimes Lauren at lunch.

"Rachel? Sweetie?" Her daddy's voice called her into the living room and she entered, frowning when she saw who was there. Mrs. Puckerman was settled on one of the sofas, tears running silently down her face. Little Sarah Puckerman was cuddled up to her mother and was also crying, her loud sniffles filling the room. Puck sat on the other side of his mother, staring off into space with a slight look of disbelief on his face.

"What's going on?" She asked as she entered, noticing her fathers' concerned looks.

"Here honey." Her dad passed her a piece of paper and she frowned reading aloud what looked like some sort of legal document.

"It is hereby decreed that the firstborn offspring of Deborah Bachman and Hiram Berry, given that said offspring is also Jewish, will be wed. This clause will be activated when Connie Bachman is with God once more." Rachel frowned as she read, her eyes widening as she took in the meaning. "Does this mean that Noah and I – Noah and I…" She stopped before she finished the sentence, slumping down into the armchair.

"We have to get married." Puck finished the sentence, still staring off into space.

"Is this even legal?" Rachel asked, looking wide eyed at her parents who were both lawyers.

"The clause was written so long ago that it was legal then and now it's a legal binding contract that must be fulfilled. We've looked at it every possible way we can honey, there's no way out of it." Her daddy sighed, he was obviously stressed about this.

"Why is this happening now?" Rachel asked, throwing herself into a chair.

"Savta, she… she passed last night." Sarah spoke up, her tears falling down faster than they had before.

"I'm sorry sweetheart." She sighed and offered the little girl a small smile and was happy when she sadly reciprocated.

"Why didn't you tell us before? We've known each other since we were toddlers!" Puck asked, looking at his mother with a frown on his face.

"We thought it would be better if you got to know each as friends before we told you that you'd be getting married." Debbie explained, slowly stroking Sarah's hair.

"This is bullshit."

::: ::: :::

Safe to say, neither party had been at all happy about this news. Sure they were friends, they had been for years but the relationship was strained due to high school pressure and their romantic history.

It had taken a lot of getting used to; Rachel's pillow was stained with her tears and Puck's wall had blood stains from where he'd punched it so many times. Their friends hadn't taken the news very well either, especially Lauren who Puck was sort of dating.

::: ::: :::

Puck was pacing the room whilst Rachel was sat in her usual seat, fidgeting constantly.

"Puck? You okay?" Mr. Schue asked as he entered, noticing the nervous actions of the club's resident self-proclaimed badass.

"Rach and I have something we need to tell everyone." Puck sighed and took Rachel's hand, tugging her up to stand with him.

"Puckleberry is back on?" Brittany asked, jumping up and down in her seat.

"Whoa! Puckerman, I didn't authorize this!" Lauren frowned and Santana scoffed, turning in her seat to look at the female wrestler.

"Authorize it whale? He's holding her hand, not meeting her at the end of the aisle." The Latina chuckled and the rest of the club laughed, not seeing the looks on their friends' faces.

"Guys, this is kind of serious." Puck sighed, drawing the attention back to the couple at the front of the room.

"Noah's Savta passed away a few days ago. Her death brought up a legal document made years ago, before any of us were even born." Rachel began to explain, squeezing Puck's hand when he tensed at the mention of his grandmother.

"I'm sorry Puck, is that what you wanted to tell us?" Mr. Schue asked, giving the boy a sympathetic look.

"That's not it. This document. It says that Rachel and I have to get married." Puck said simply, running a hand through his Mohawk.

"Is- is that even legal?" Mercedes asked, once the initial shock of their statement had worn off.

"We're both 16 and we have our parents' permission. It's in a legal binding contract, we have to carry this out." Rachel said, her eyes pleading as she looked up at the people who meant the most to her, barring her parents and Noah's family.

"So you're marrying the midget?" Lauren asked, a look of utter disbelief on her face.

"That's another thing, open season on Rachel is over. You guys have been pretty shit friends. We act like this is a family but you all insult her anytime you can." Puck growled, glaring at Santana and Quinn in particular.

"This is crazy. You two hate each other." Quinn spoke up, her face in an expression of absolute confusion.

"We don't actually. It's pretty hard to hate your childhood best friend." Puck laughed as looks of shock came across their faces once again.

"We've known each other since birth, as you can imagine the Jewish community of Lima, Ohio is rather lacking in members. There's barely anyone our age so we bonded rather quickly and we were best friends until high school got in the way."

"I can't believe I let you talk me into that."

"Noah, I wasn't about to let you get beaten up every day simply because we were friends."

"I'm not following." Sam said, frowning as he tried to get his head around the conversation in front of him.

"Who do you think started the slushies?" Mike spoke up, making his way to the front of the room where the couple were stood. "Wait, if you two are gonna stop acting like you hate each other, I can stop acting like we don't know each other. Right Legs?"

"Of course Mike, although I would like to think Glee had brought us closer together." Rachel grinned. She let out a squeal as he picked her up and spun her around, quickly descending into laughter.

"You were close enough already." Puck muttered under his breath and the club chuckled.

"Green is not your color Puckerman." Santana winked and he flipped her the finger, causing her to laugh again.

"Hold up, Berry and Asian number two are friends?" Artie asked, looking at the pair who were laughing at Puck's blushing.

"Since pre-K bitches, pretty much the same thing happened when we hit high school though." Mike shrugged and threw an arm around Rachel's shoulder which made her smile.

"And calling her Legs?" Tina asked, raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend who had the decency to blush.

"Come on Asian number one, even I'll admit that Berry's legs are fucking awesome." Santana winked at Rachel who blushed and crossed her long tanned legs as if she was attempting to hide them.

"Hold up, can we concentrate on the whole marriage thing here?" Finn butted in, looking at the club as if they'd all grown two heads.

"For once I agree with the BFG, when is this all going down?" Lauren asked, standing up from her seat angrily.

"In two weeks' time." A voice spoke from the doorway and they all turned to see Mrs. Puckerman stood there, holding her daughter's hand.

"Ma? What are you doing here?" Puck asked, frowning.

"Rachel!" Sarah called and flew into the brunette's arms, smiling when she was swept up to sit on Rachel's hip.

"Hi Sarah, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked the seven year old, moving a piece of hair out of her face.

"We came to ask you if you wanted to go dress shopping. We need to start sorting things out and we thought maybe some of your friends could come. We also missed your pretty face, bubbala." Debbie smiled, moving to stand by Rachel and Sarah. She stroked a hand over Rachel's hair and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"I hadn't actually got around to this but Mercedes, would you be my maid of honor? Also, I'd like Tina and Brittany to be my bridesmaids." Rachel smiled at the girls in Glee who had actually treated her like a friend over the past year and a bit.

The girls all squealed and jumped up. Mercedes hugged Rachel and Sarah, smiling at the little girl who looked very excited to be in a room full of high schoolers.

"I've never been a bridesmaid before! I was a flower girl at my aunt's wedding though and it was really fun! Thanks Rachie!" Brittany exclaimed, jumping up and down before hugging the girl.

"Well munchkin here has the title of flower girl." Rachel smiled at Sarah who squealed despite the fact that she'd already been told this information.

::: ::: :::

The club had pretty much accepted the fact that two of their members would be married. Despite this, they still found it extremely odd watching Rachel and Puck grow closer over the couple of weeks that lead up to their wedding. For them, it had seemed like a sudden change but Mike assured them that they had pretty much always been like this. Teasing each other, tickle fights and casual embraces like hand holding and kisses on the forehead or cheek were pretty much customary for the pair.

Before any of them knew it, they found themselves standing in Lima's only synagogue, waiting to watch Rachel Berry walk down the aisle to Noah Puckerman.

::: ::: :::

Sarah skipped down first, throwing petals with a huge grin on her face. Next came Mercedes and Mike, who had been chosen as Puck's best man. They were arm in arm with smiles on their faces as they floated towards a nervous looking Puck. Brittany and Artie came next, the blonde pushing her boyfriend as they walked. Tina and Kurt brought up the rear. The girls were dressed in knee length deep purple dresses and the boys had a tie of the same color.

Rachel appeared at the end of the aisle, a father on each side and she was grateful for their support, she was sure she'd fall without them. Her eyes locked with Puck's and he smiled softly at her, throwing her a wink causing her to chuckle. They maintained their eye contact as she floated down the aisle. Debbie sat in the front row, sniffling into a handkerchief and Rachel's fathers both had tears running down their faces too.

They reached the chuppah and her dads kissed her cheeks before joining Debbie, Hiram reaching for her hand as they watched their children. The Rabbi recited the blessing and passed them the traditional wine which they both drank. They pulled out the rings and slid them onto each other's fingers, blushes on both of their cheeks. The Ketuvah was read aloud and the couple smiled at each other, the idea that they were getting married sinking in properly as they listened to their Rabbi. Puck smashed the glass with his foot and the room erupted into applause as the couple made their way back down the aisle hand in hand.

They were left alone in a room whilst everyone else helped to set up the reception.

"You look beautiful." Puck smiled, standing in front of her.

"You scrub up pretty well yourself." Rachel laughed, gesturing to the one chair in the room.

"We're married." He laughed, settling down in the chair. She made to pull herself on top of the table until he tugged her down so she was sat on his lap.

"That we are. This feels so weird." She giggled, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Babe, I hate to break it to you but we've done this plenty a time." Puck laughed and poked her side, smirking as she squirmed.

"Not this. _This._ " She held up her hand and shoved her ring finger in his face.

"You're my wife. Six year old me is singing." He laughed and Rachel chuckled, smiling as his arms wrapped around her waist comfortably.

"Six year old you thought we were married." Rachel reminded him and he snorted into her shoulder, nodding against her skin.

"He did and he was very sad when a particular six year old girl told him that their wedding was fake." He pouted and Rachel laughed, kissing his cheek. "Listen, I know this wasn't your plan but I promise you won't be compromising any of your dreams. I love you Rachel and there's a part of me that thought this would also happen. Obviously, not this early but still."

"Noah, I know I've talked nonstop about New York and Broadway but there was always something I didn't tell everyone. I've never wanted to go to New York if you're not there. Even when we were little, every dream I had, you were there, annoying me. We don't have to go to New York if you don't want to. I love you." She smiled and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, we're going to New York. I can do what I want to do wherever, you need to be in NYC baby." He smiled and kissed her forehead, reveling in the way she leant against him.

"Okay, but let's talk about this later. It's our wedding day." She smiled and he grinned, relaxing into her.

"And where there's a wedding day, there's a wedding night." He winked and she slapped his thigh, not restraining the giggle that escaped her mouth.

::: ::: :::

"Introducing for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Noah Puckerman!" Rachel's daddy grinned from his spot on the stage and gestured to the door.

Rachel and Puck entered, hand in hand, with big smiles on their faces. Everyone was relaxing around the room with drinks in their hands, just enjoying the atmosphere. The couple made the rounds, embracing and talking to their friends.

"Baby girl!" Leroy smiled, tugging his daughter into his arms with tears in his eyes.

"Daddy!" Rachel exclaimed, grateful that Puck was holding her drink else she'd have spilled it down her dress.

"Congratulations Songbird." Her daddy smiled, stroking her hair.

"Take care of our baby Noah." Hiram turned to his son-in-law, allowing his husband and daughter to have their moment.

"Always Sir." Puck nodded and extended his hand.

"What are you doing?" Leroy gasped, looking at the pair with an odd expression on his face.

"Daddy?" Rachel asked, assumed as she watched her father frown.

"Noah's been a part of this family for years, hug me!" He exclaimed and Puck laughed, throwing his arms around one of the two men who had been more of a father than his dad had ever been.

Hiram hugged Rachel and Puck before sending them towards his mother.

"My beautiful baby boy." Debbie smiled, embracing her son.

"Ma!" Puck sighed, wrapping his arms around his mother.

"Shh! Give me this day and allow me to dote on you." The mother smiled as she pulled back to hold her son's cheeks between her hands.

"Ma, seriously? My wife is stood right there." He groaned and Debbie only grinned hearing him call Rachel his wife.

"I'm so proud of you." She sniffed and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her again.

"I love you Ima." He kissed her cheek and she sniffed again.

"I love you too bubbala." She smiled and stepped back, standing on her toes to ruffle his hair.

Meanwhile, Sarah had jumped on Rachel. "You're my sister!"

"I know, and now I have the best little sister in the whole wide world." Rachel smiled, holding the girl under her thighs to make sure she wasn't going to fall from where she'd wrapped her legs around Rachel's waist.

"Did I do good?" She asked, referring to her job as flower girl.

"You were fantastic." Rachel grinned, kissing her cheek. The girls heard a camera click and turned to see Brittany stood there with a camera.

"What? It was cute." The blonde giggled and skipped off towards Artie.

"Mommy said you were coming to live with us." Sarah said matter of factly, fiddling with a strand of Rachel's hair which was in loose curls.

"That's right. You're okay with that aren't you?" The brunette asked the little girl, knowing it would be hard on her to have a new person living in her house.

"Okay with it? It's going to be awesome! We can have girls nights every night!" The little girl exclaimed with a huge grin on her face.

"Whoa, watch it there munchkin. Rachel's my wife, not your personal slave. I know what happens during those girls nights. You make Rachel do your hair, your makeup and your tiny little nails." Puck laughed, turning towards his sister and smiling at the picture.

"It's fun! I do hers too! Rachel, tell him." Sarah defended, glaring at her brother.

"I'm not getting involved in this." Rachel laughed, handing Sarah to Puck who threw her a wink as Debbie pulled her into a hug.

"My beautiful daughter." Debbie sighed, running a hand over Rachel's hair.

"I love you Bibi." Rachel smiled, calling her mother-in-law by her childhood nickname for her.

"And I love you bubbala, there's no one better for my son." The older woman smiled and kissed her forehead, sorting out a strand of her hair which was slightly out of place.

"Speeches!" Mercedes called out and everyone made their way to their seats.

Rachel's daddy stepped up, a champagne flute in his hand. A server passed Rachel and Noah a glass as they sat down.

"Okay, as most of you know, I'm Rachel's daddy. Hiram was going to speak but I convinced him otherwise as, well let's face it, I'm the amusing side of this relationship. Around 16 years ago, Hiram and I were given the most precious gift, a baby girl. Our little Rachel. As she grew up into the amazing young woman she is today, there was one person that was always by her side. Noah. I remember when they were around five, Rachel asked me what love was. I told her love is what your dad and I feel about you. There's nothing you can do, nothing you can say and nothing you can think that would make us love you even a teeny, tiny bit less because you are our little songbird. Then I asked her what _she_ thought love was. She told me it was "when they let you have the last candy in the packet even though they secretly want it themselves because that's what dad does for you". I still remember when I picked her up from the JCC a week later and she didn't say a word the whole way home. If you know Rachel, you know that's odd. I later found out that she and Noah had been sharing a packet of Lifesavers and he'd offered her the last one. Her eyes went all wide and she blushed around him for at least a month. Finally, I convinced her to talk to him and he said "Of course I love you! You're my best friend!" I know that this was all rushed but I can tell you sincerely from the bottom of my heart that I think we would have ended up here one day even without the arrangement. I love you baby girl and I know that Noah will take care of you. To Noah and Rachel!"

Mike stepped up next, a huge smile on his face. "I have known Legs since I was three. My most vivid memory of her and Puck together was when we had just started school. I saw Rachel on the playing field and I ran up to talk to her but before I could, I was punched in the eye. It was Puck and he told me that Rachel was his best friend and I should find someone else. I'm glad I didn't follow his advice else I'd have missed out on two beautiful friendships. I love you both. To Puck and Rachel!"

The rest of the reception passed in a blur of sparkling cider and dancing, laughter filling the room the whole night through.

::: ::: :::

Returning to school was perhaps the oddest part for the couple. Rachel's dads had paid for the couple to spend a week in New York as a honeymoon and the two had an amazing girl, exploring the city as well as each other and their relationship.

"You ready for this?" Puck asked as they sat in his truck outside McKinley. Rachel nodded determinedly and jumped out of the cab, swinging her backpack onto her shoulder. They interlocked hands and made their way into the school, heading down the corridor.

Mercedes was waiting at her locker, a huge grin on her face. "I missed you! How was New York?"

"Amazing but I missed you too." The brunette grinned and hugged her friend.

"So, how are you two going to play this?" The diva asked, watching as they both opened their lockers which were only a few apart from each other.

"Eh, let them figure it out themselves." Puck smirked and Rachel giggled, pulling a few of her books out.

"My name's been changed on the school register so it shouldn't take too long for them to click, no matter how slow some of them are." Rachel laughed, shutting her locker.

"You've been spending too much time with him Berry." Santana laughed, coming up behind the small group.

"It's Puckerman." Rachel winked and Santana laughed again.

"You know, you're really not that annoying. When you're not fighting for a solo that is." The Latina asked and Rachel smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"My goodness, is Santana surrendering?" She teased and winked, turning to Puck as he shut his locker.

"I wouldn't go that far hobbit." It was the first time the name had seemed more like a nickname that an insult to Rachel and she smiled, showing the Latina she appreciated the effort.

::: ::: :::

The school had undoubtedly blown up when they figured out where the couple had been for a week. Despite the initial shock, it didn't take that long for everything to settle down. Rachel and Puck became just another couple in the halls of McKinley, the only difference being their matching surnames, the rings on their fingers and the privilege of sharing a bed every night.

Puck became more compassionate towards others; he starting thinking before he spoke and everyone was happier for it. Rachel relaxed a little, happy to make out in the hallways much to the teachers' dismay. She also was happier to share her solos in Glee. She still kept a tight hold on certain songs but she was understanding when the song wasn't really her usual genre.

Senior year rolled around faster than anyone had anticipated. The club came 12th at Nationals in New York but they were determined to work their butts off to win the next time around.

"Maybe we can have our set list planned _before_ we get on the plane next year!" Kurt had laughed and everyone had agreed, teasing their teacher for his lack of organizational skills.

::: ::: :::

Will sighed as he entered the teacher's lounge. The new teacher Mrs. Buffer looked like she'd just seen a ghost.

"Bad first morning?" He asked, slipping into the seat next to her and giving her a sympathetic look.

"Yeah… The kids in my senior class spent the whole period laughing at me. There was two students with the same surname and I assumed they were siblings. That is until I realized that they were the couple I'd walked in on making out in my classroom before the lesson. Then they kissed right in front of me and wouldn't explain it." The woman sighed and Will tried to not laugh.

"Let me guess, Rachel and Puck? The Puckermans?" He smiled as Emma entered the room, heading straight for him.

"What's going on? Andrea are you alright?" She asked, settling in the seat next to Will.

"Mrs. B just had her first lesson with the Puckermans." Will chuckled and Emma frowned.

"What happened?"

" _Noah, we – ugh – we really shouldn't be doing this here." The girl moaned from where she was sat on his lap._

" _Baby, we're five minutes early, no one's gonna catch us." He grinned and continued kissing down her neck, smirking as she gasped loudly._

" _Excuse me!" Mrs. Buffer yelled as she entered her classroom._

 _The girl immediately blushed and jumped off of her boyfriend's lap. "Sorry Ma'am."_

" _I ain't apologizing, that shit was hot." The boy grinned, his eyes never leaving his girl._

 _The teacher shook her head and ignored the couple as other students began to filter, the girl looked embarrassed enough for the both of them._

" _Okay, I'm Mrs. Buffer and I'm new here so could you raise your hands after I call your names?" She started the class, putting the incident behind her._

" _Noah Puckerman?" The boy from the couple raised his hand, it barely leaving the table. "Rachel Puckerman? Oh are you twins?" She asked excitedly before realizing that it was the girl from the couple that had raised her hand._

 _The couple laughed as the class burst into giggles, staring at what the couple would do._

" _Hey sis, give your bro some sugar?" Puck smirked and Rachel giggled, leaning over to capture his lips._

" _We're not twins Mrs. B." Rachel giggled once they separated._

" _But… you're related?" The teacher frowned._

" _Technically, yes." The diva grinned and pecked Puck's lips again before looking down at her notebook._

"They waited the entire period until Rachel finally told me the truth!" Mrs. Buffer exclaimed and the other two tried to not giggle.

"They're an odd pair but they work." Emma smiled.

"So they are married? They're so young!" Andrea gasped, looking at the other two teachers.

"It was arranged, they're Jewish and it was set down in some sort of legal binding contract. It shocked us all but they're good for each other." Will explained and chuckled as the new teacher threw her head down on the desk.

::: ::: :::

"Noah!" Debbie called and the couple hurried downstairs to see her holding an envelope with a serious expression on her face.

"What's that?" He asked as Rachel pulled herself up to sit on the kitchen surface.

"Get off there missy, I make food on that!" Debbie turned to her daughter-in-law who giggled and jumped down, kissing her cheek cheekily.

"Ma?" Puck asked, drawing her attention back to the envelope.

"It's from NYU." She smiled and passed it to him.

"Open it!" Rachel grinned and he chuckled at her, ripping open the white seal.

 _Mr. Noah Puckerman,_

 _We are delighted to offer you a place at NYU starting this fall…_

That was all Puck needed to read. He threw the letter down and grabbed Rachel, spinning her around as she laughed.

"We're going to New York baby!" He exclaimed and kissed her happily.

"Oh Noah, I'm so proud of you!" His mother cried and wrapped him in a hug.

::: ::: :::


	2. let's hear it for new york

**AN: Some of the dialogue was taken from the actual show so I don't own any of that.**

Brody sighed as he stepped out of the shower. Sure, showering at 3 in the morning was kind of ridiculous but once he got back from spending a night with one of his clients, he needed to shower. There was nothing better than washing cougar off of your skin. Except maybe not getting it there in the first place but he needed the money. He wrapped a towel around his waist and headed towards the mirror, surprised to see a girl stood there. She was cute but by the looks of her, also new.

"Hey. You're a freshman, right?" He smiled, wiping the water from his eyes as she turned back to her little pink bag.

"Yeah, I'm Rachel Puckerman. I'm majoring in musical theater." She smiled and gave a small wave with her left hand. Something sparkled in the dim light of the bathroom and Brody shrugged it off, she was eighteen.

"Me, too. Brody Weston. I'm a junior." He introduced himself, ignoring the fact that she seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with that fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Hi." She smiled sheepishly and he smirked, she was cute.

"Well, you survived your first class with Cassie, so you must be good." He teased and she sighed. Brody tried to stop himself from smirking. Oh yeah, he'd been there. The first week of NYADA? He thought he was going to die.

"Is she, uh, always that awful?" Rachel asked, gathering her long hair to one side of her head. Brody had to chuckle at that; the freshman complained but they were usually respectful about it.

"Yeah, she's tough. But I wouldn't have gotten that chorus gig in the revival of Working last summer if she didn't push me so hard." Sure, he was dropping a little but she seemed to have gotten used to him being in a towel so what harm could it do?

"You were on Broadway?" Boy did he have her attention now. She dropped her hair a little from where she'd been braiding it and flashed him one of the brightest smiles he'd seen. That was saying something too because he was in musical theater.

"Steel Worker Number Three. Show lasted for, like, three performances, but still… I like to come in here at night, too. People give me a hard time about my moisturizing ritual." He gave a small bow before turning back towards the mirror. Oh he could read Rachel Puckerman like a book. Small town girl, she's got a lot on her plate. Sure she's good at what she does but she's experiencing what Cassie called big fish, small pond syndrome. She was the best at everything in her middle-of-nowhere town but suddenly the bright lights of Broadway and the unlikely isolation of Broadway was making her miss her high school footballer of a boyfriend. So maybe he made up a little lie about his skin. He did have a pretty extensive ritual though, he just wasn't teased for it.

"Me, too." She grinned again and went back to braiding her hair, letting out a cute chuckle as she did so.

"We're actors, right? Our skin is like our paintbrush and our canvas." He tried to sound profound but he realized it sounded pretty lame when she chuckled and ducked her head.

"Actually, I'm not really sleeping much, lately. Not a lot of city noise in Lima, Ohio. I just think everything takes a little getting used to, but yeah." She shrugged and sighed. Brody could tell her mind was back on that boyfriend of hers. Sure, she hadn't told him anything about a boy but there always was someone. He'd been here three years and he'd seen it happen enough, it had even happened to him.  
"You'll be fine. Just remember, you're here because you're the best of the best. Start believing that. Oh, and, in case you were wondering which you were I'm straight." He left before she could reply despite the fact that he could see there was definitely something on the tip of her tongue.

::: ::: ::: :::

He slide into the seat next to her when he spotted her in the round room. There was ten minutes before class started and she was talking into her phone but she smiled at him and gave a small wave.

He couldn't understand a word she was saying and it wasn't until she muttered out an _oy vey_ that he realized she must have been speaking in Hebrew.

"Okay, I'll see you soon. I love you Bibi." She grinned widely as the other person replied before hanging up and turning to him. "Hi!"

"Hey, you know Hebrew?" He asked, raising an eyebrow with an impressed look on his face.

"Yeah, there's also not much to _do_ in Lima, Ohio." She joked and he laughed loudly, gaining looks from the other students gathering. "No I'm kidding, my dads didn't speak it at home but I spent a lot of my childhood at the JCC and they taught it to us. Probably to stop us from running riot. Plus…"

He didn't get to hear what else she had to say because Carmen swept in at that moment and a silence settled over the round room.

He grinned as she completely knocked that Billy Joel song out of the water and received the most praise he was sure any freshman had received in their first lesson with Carmen.

::: ::: ::: :::

The next time he saw her she was sat on a bench in front of Washington Square Arch. She was looking at something on her phone and as he approached he saw it was a picture of a boy with a mohawk pulling a stupid face at the camera.

"That your boyfriend?" He asked, sitting down next to her.

"Actually, it's my husband." She smiled and raised her left hand, flashing her rings at him.

"You're just full of surprises!" He exclaimed, grabbing her hand and pulling it closer to his face so he could properly look at it. "Wait, if you're married, where's your husband?"

"Noah starts at NYU next week, he's back home dealing with some family issues but he should be here tomorrow." She smiled brightly and shut off her phone, clutching it tightly it her hand.

"But you're staying in dorms?" He questioned, that seemed odd. Surely she should be living with her husband?

"Only temporarily, there was some sort of problem with the landlord of the apartment we're renting but we should be able to move in soon." She grinned and crossed her long legs, distracting Brody's attention.

"Soon isn't soon enough." A deep voice spoke and Brody watched as Rachel spun around, letting out a gasp. She jumped up and threw herself into his arms, squealing as he happily lifting her into his arms. They settled so her legs were wrapped around his waist and they were face to face.

"What are you doing here? You told me your flight was tomorrow!" She exclaimed, happily holding his face in her hands.

"Well, I couldn't stand being away from you for a moment longer, Princess." He winked and she squealed again, leaning in to kiss him.

"I'll see you later Rachel." Brody called and wandered off, knowing that she hadn't even heard him.

::: ::: ::: :::

The next time Brody saw Rachel's husband, who he now knew to be called Puck, was when he was helping Cassie with her freshman class around a week later. They were going across the floor and Rachel was killing it, as per usual. Cassie seemed to be ignoring her that day, if she couldn't find anything negative to say, she didn't say anything.

It was around five minutes from the end of the lesson when Puck appeared, leaning against the doorframe and smirking at his wife who waved slightly with a grin on her face before running to her place in the line. Cassie never finished early, she worked her students to the last moment she possibly could.

"Schwimmer, who's this?" The blonde teacher asked, noticing the way Rachel had lit up when she saw Puck.

"I'm Noah Puckerman ma'am." The boy smiled and outstretched his hand which Cassie took, an impressed look on her face.

"Your brother Schwimmer?" She asked, gesturing Rachel over.

"Nah, I'm her husband." Puck smirked and Rachel let out a small giggle at the look on her dance teacher's face.

"Damn Schwimmer, I thought that was a purity ring. How long?" She looked in slight disbelief at the rings residing on Rachel's ring finger.

"It'll be two years in April." Rachel smiled, unable to contain her happiness around Puck.

"Wow, class dismissed!" Cassie yelled and walked off, leaving the couple alone. Brody rushed to grab his stuff but slowed as he realized his bag was right next to the couple. Slowly packing his things up, he listened to their conversation.

"She's certainly something." Puck chuckled, pulling Rachel into his arms.

"Tell me about it." She rolled her eyes, leaning her head on his chest.

"I have a surprise." He smirked and she looked up at him confused. With a grin, he pulled a set of keys out of his back pocket and she grinned, hugging him tightly.

"I love you." She whispered but Brody was close enough that he could hear.

Puck chuckled and pulled back, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "And I love _you_ baby, come on, we've got packing to do."

::: ::: ::: :::

"Rachel! You have to help me!" Kurt screeched down the phone and Rachel sighed, used to her best friend's dramatics.

"What is going on Kurt?" She asked as she entered their apartment building. Kurt had been lucky enough to get the apartment below the one that Puck and Rachel shared. His dad had been more than happy to pay the rent and the two best friends felt like they were living every TV show set in New York all at once.

"Santana just showed up at my apartment and declared she's moving in!" The soprano lamented, his voice going surprisingly high even for Kurt.

"So? It's Santana, she's our friend. It's not like some random stranger just showed up Kurt." The brunette laughed and entered her own apartment, checking the floor by the door. Puck's jacket and bag were thrown there as usual and she smiled, placing them both on the coat rack along with her own items. The shower was running and she grinned, moving through the apartment.

"I can't live with Santana! We'd drive each other crazy!" He screamed and she chuckled, grabbing a diet coke out the fridge. The water stopped running and she heard him swear loudly as he hit his head on the rail.

"Baby?" He called out suddenly and Rachel covered the microphone on her phone before replying.

"In the kitchen!" She called out and flopped down in a chair, flicking the can open. "Listen Kurt, I doubt it's a permanent arrangement but apartments are difficult to find. I'm sure she wouldn't mind paying half the rent so it'll be easier on your dad. I'm just happy she finally realized she was better than shaking pompoms in Kentucky."

"I guess so. Can you please come over?" Kurt begged and she laughed.

"Hang on, we'll be down in fifteen minutes." She smiled as Puck entered the kitchen, a towel wrapped around his waist. He kissed her quickly and snatched her diet coke, taking a gulp.

"Kurt?" He mouthed, pulling the hair bobble out of her hair so it tumbled down her back as she nodded. "I'll go change."

"Can you pull my green dress out?" She asked as he walked off and he held up a thumbs up.

"The new one?" Kurt asked, drawing Rachel's attention back to her phone call.

"Yeah, I'll see you in a minute but I need to change. I smell like NYADA!" She exclaimed and Kurt laughed, hanging up.

"Good day?" Puck asked as she entered their bedroom, peeling her leotard off of her body.

"It was alright. Vocals were fun but dance was hell, as per usual." She sighed and cleaned up, pulling the green dress over her body.

"You're gonna prove her wrong one day very soon." He smiled as kissed her hair as he passed her on the way to the chest of drawers. They both dressed quickly and rushed downstairs, pulling open the door to see Santana lounging on the couch with Kurt sat at the kitchen table, glowering.

"Puckerman!" Santana exclaimed and stood up, rushing over to hug Puck who laughed. He hugged her tightly and spun her around before moving to greet Kurt.

"Hey Santana." Rachel smiled, hugging the Latina.

"It's good to see you midget." She laughed and ruffled Rachel's hair affectionately.

"So New York?" The diva grinned, flopping into one of Kurt's armchairs.

"Yup, I needed a change and where better than the city where dreams come true?" Santana grinned, settling back onto the couch.

"Blaine said you were just at McKinley?" Kurt asked, moving to sit next to his new roommate on the couch.

"Yeah, it was a bad week. I ended up singing Make No Mistake She's Mine with Sam. It seems like Britt really has moved on." She sighed heavily, throwing her head back. Rachel shot Kurt a look and the boy relented, turning to the Latina.

"Well, you can stay here as long as you like. You will have to pay rent though and deal with hearing those two going at it upstairs." The soprano shuddered and Rachel blushed. Puck chuckled, coming to stand behind Rachel's chair.

"Whatever Hummel, you can't handle our awesomeness." He laughed and settled on the arm of the armchair, smiling as Rachel cuddled into his side.

"Oh yeah, cuddling is badass Puckerman." Santana winked and he gave her the finger. Any other time he would have made a comment about Brittany but it was obvious that the blonde was a sore point for the Latina.

::: ::: ::: :::

Life settled down for the couple after that. Puck was doing well at school and he was happy with his course; it felt even better knowing that he was well on his way to joining the NYPD. Rachel started preparing for her Funny Girl audition, knowing that this was the role she was practically born to play.

They headed back to Lima for Mr. Schue's wedding, excited to see everyone. Rachel was very confused when she got a text from Finn asking her to meet him at the Lima Bean but she pulled on her new red coat and headed out, promising Puck she'd bring him a coffee. Sarah had asked for one too and Rachel had promised her a hot chocolate, she did not want to deal with the already hyper eight year old on caffeine.

"Thanks for coming to meet me. I thought you'd bring Puck." The boy seemed rather confused and looked behind Rachel as if he was worried that the self-proclaimed badass was going to jump out from behind her seat.

"He's spending some time with Sarah. I think she's really missed him. Not that either of them would admit it but they're closer than they act. Sarah really looks up to him and Noah has this incessant need to protect her. She mentioned a boy in her class yesterday and I think Noah nearly went and knocked the boy out for talking to her." The brunette laughed, thinking about her sister in law and her reaction to Puck's outburst.

"Okay, cool, cool. So I-I don't really need to hear about your husband and your perfect life alright?" He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Rachel frowned, Finn had never really warmed to the idea of her and Noah, despite them being married for nearly two years.

"Finn, what's going on right now? You look like you slept in those clothes. And you won't even look at me." She grasped his face and made him look her in the eyes. He was definitely guilty about something; that much was obvious.

"I kissed Miss Pillsbury." He admitted and Rachel's eyes grew wide. Of all things, she was not expecting that.

"Did she kiss you back?" She asked, kind of scared to know the answer. Mr. Schue deserved his happy ending and she'd be damned if Finn messed that up.

"No, she was totally freaked out by it. I don't even know how it happened. We've been spending all this time together, and then she was there, and I just felt the need to And I kissed her, and I…" He started rambling and Rachel sighed, wondering why on earth he'd wanted to talk to _her_ about this.

"Does Mr. Schue know?" She was definitely dreading the answer to that question. She was devastated for her teacher but she'd also just spent hundreds of dollars on a plane ticket to Ohio, college didn't come cheap.

"I don't… I don't think so. I don't think she'd tell him, but - maybe I should." He looked really uncomfortable and Rachel sighed, just wanting to slap him upside the head.

"No. Don't. Just don't. Okay? Remember how you felt about Puck when you found out about him and Quinn? You kicked a garbage can." She sighed again and remembered how everyone had felt that day. The fight was a point of contention between the two friends; they'd never really properly healed their relationship.

"I'm the worst person in the world!" Finn exclaimed, standing up and throwing his hands in the air. She tugged him back into his seat, smiling sweetly at the other patrons who were shooting them odd looks.

"No, you're not. What you did, it wasn't great, but I get it. You're confused, and lonely. I mean, Quinn is doing amazingly at Yale and even Santana is hooking up in New York. At least that's what I think the random trail of women coming in and out of the apartment block is. Noah's convinced that she's determined to make her way through the entire lesbian population of New York. Of course I told him he was being ridiculous but there have been a lot of women…" Finn cut her off with a glare and she rolled her eyes, sick of his attitude towards her.

"Not everything has to do with you." He said smarmily, obviously annoyed that the attention had moved off of him for two minutes.

"Look, I don't know what to do. You always wanted to be an actor, right? So here's your chance to play the role of the supportive best man." She grabbed her coffee cup and the tray which contained Puck and Sarah's drinks before storming out, not looking back at the tall boy.

"That boy is ridiculous." She sighed as she turned her key in the lock and entered the Puckerman household.

"Rachel!" Sarah smiled, turning towards her sister in law.

"Squirt, you saw her twenty minutes ago." Puck rolled his eyes, pushing his little sister back into her seat at the dinner table.

"One hot chocolate and one black coffee." Rachel smiled, placing the cups in front of the siblings who thanked her. She smiled and slid into Puck's lap, laying her head on his shoulder.

"What did Hudson want?" He asked, kissing her hair.

"He kissed Miss Pillsbury and he wanted my advice on what to do." She rolled her eyes, sighing in content as Puck pulled her closer.

"Seriously? Dude's fu- an idiot." He caught himself before he swore in front of Sarah and rolled his own eyes.

"I miss New York." Rachel sighed, biting her lip.

"Me too. I miss our apartment, I miss school, hell, I even miss hearing Kurt and Santana argue." He laughed, downing almost half the coffee.

::: ::: ::: :::

The wedding did not go well but the couple had fun at the reception. Rachel finally got to meet Jake properly and his girlfriend Marley.

"Hey Little Bro!" Puck grinned, embracing Jake as the other couple approached them.

"'Sup Puck?" Jake grinned and slapped his back, happy to see his brother again. He'd been really great with helping him construct the perfect Valentine's Day for Marley.

"Hi, I'm Marley." The brunette smiled shyly as Jake wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Puck, and this is my wife, Rachel." The older boy grinned and turned to Rachel, throwing her a wink.

"It's lovely to finally meet the two of you. I have heard wonderful things about both of you from Puck and the rest of our friends." She grinned and shook both of their hands. They both seemed slightly alarmed at her rambling and Marley's eyes were wide. Puck chuckled and pulled his wife into his side; she was awesome.

"S-sorry. It's lovely to meet you too. You're like a legacy!" Marley exclaimed, causing Rachel to chuckle slightly.

"It's nice to know you're remembered but I've been hearing a lot about you! According to Sam you 'have some serious lungs'. His words, not mine." Rachel chuckled, glancing at her blonde friend who was dancing weirdly with his girlfriend.

"Trouty's an interesting one." Puck laughed, looking at where Santana and Quinn were giggling loudly. "That's also interesting."

"My, they're certainly getting handsy." Rachel commented, watching the two girls.

"Santana's really cool as well. She was my mentor during Sectionals." Marley grinned, thinking of how weirdly supportive the girl had been.

"She's basically the female version of Noah." Rachel commented, smirking as Jake laughed loudly.

"You mean she's a badass?" Puck grinned, looking smug.

"No, she puts up a hard exterior but she cares very deeply about those she loves." She grinned up at him and he chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose.

"I can deal with that."

"Puckleberry! Stop being so damn cute and get your asses onto this dance floor!" Santana called and both couples laughed, heading onto the floor as Kurt and Blaine began to sing.

::: ::: ::: :::

Rachel sighed as she slumped into her seat in the diner. Santana wandered over, carrying a large box. The Latina had recently filmed a commercial for Yeast-I-Stat and it was really cool but Rachel still hadn't heard back from Funny Girl. She was feeling very jealous of her friend.

"I think I need an agent. I guess those contracts I signed for those commercials said that I waived my right to residuals in exchange for a lifetime supply of Yeast-I-Stat. Though I don't know whose toxic vagina would need that much of that stuff? I mean, if you're producing that much yeast, you should probably start a bakery." She complained, picking up a box of the stuff before throwing it back in the box. Rachel chuckled, shaking her head as she watched the Latina's confused expression.

"One vegan doughnut for the lady." Puck's voice sounded and Rachel turned, grinning when she saw her husband stood there holding out a brown bag.

"Ugh, I love you!" She exclaimed, chomping down on the sugary snack. She hadn't eaten all day; she'd had class all morning and then she had ten minutes to get from NYADA to the diner, leaving no time to stop for lunch on the way.

"Where's my doughnut Puckerman?" Santana grumbled, still flicking through the box.

"I don't love you Lopez." He retaliated and she laughed, frowning as Kurt entered from the back.

"Are you ready for me?" He exclaimed, jumping onto the counter top as Puck settled into the seat next to Rachel.

"Sorry. What is Lady Hummel doing here?" Santana frowned, looking the boy up and down with slight distain on her face. The two got on a lot better now that they had to deal with each other in such close proximity but Santana was very grateful of her time away from her roommate as well.

"Working. doesn't pay, and I need some seed cash to start my Madonna cover band." He grinned and Puck frowned.

"Dude, a Madonna cover band? That's worse than Mr. Schue's obsession with disco." He grumbled and Rachel shot him a look.

"Damn straight." Santana added and the two high fived.

"You guys, this is so great. I feel like I'm on Smash, season one." Rachel grinned, dancing a little in her chair. Puck laughed and steadied her, raising an eyebrow at Kurt over her head.

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts, because soon you'll be dumping us to play Fanny Brice." The boy grinned, winking at his best friend who sighed and slumped in her chair.

"Oh, no, that ship has sailed. If I got it, I would have heard by now." She said, leaning on her hand.

"Rach, you're awesome okay? They'll call, they probably just need a few more days." Puck said reassuringly, nudging her arm with his elbow.

"Yeah Rachel, be positive!" Kurt exclaimed, a grin on his face.

"I am positive, okay? My whole life, I've been looking to be a part of something special to feel special, but the truth is, is that I am special, okay? And I don't need producers to tell me that. I'm gonna play this part, and if it's not in this production, then that is their loss." She explained, nodding her head in more of an attempt to convince herself than her friends.

"Isn't it amazing how life seems so easy when you just don't give a fart? I mean, look at this. Hummel is getting married, Midget is just full of confidence, Puckerman's soaring in school and I finally have a girlfriend who I don't have to worry about straying for penis." Santana grinned and they all chuckled, knowing that Dani made Santana really happy despite her still having feelings for Brittany.

"I say we stay in this town together for two years, all right? For soaring success or miserable failure.  
None of us bail until then, okay, no matter what." Kurt nodded, looking around at the unlikely group of friends.

They all agreed, pinky swearing like children as Gunther, the diner owner, approached them. "Someone in booth 14 is looking for the short one. Go. I take this." He gestured to Rachel before walking away with Santana's box of Yeast-I-Stat, causing them all to look at each other in slight disbelief.

"Mr. Campion." Rachel sighed, flicking her bangs and wondering why on earth he would show up just to put her down.

"Do you have any whole cakes, Rachel?" He asked and Rachel frowned, she'd always found the man slightly odd but this was perhaps his weirdest request yet.

"Just a whole cake?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm. I'd like one." He stated simply and Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Okay." She said, trying to quickly fulfil his request so that she could get back to her friends.

"But I need you to write something on it for me. Can you do that?"

She sighed and turned back to him, posing her pen to her notepad. "Yeah."

"Good. I want you to write, mm 'Congratulations, Rachel Berry. You are Fanny Brice.'"

Rachel went into slight shock. "Are you serious? Are you serious?! Really?! Oh, my God! Really?! Thank you so much! Thank you!" She exclaimed and hugged him quickly before rushing towards her friends. "I got Fanny! Oh, my God! Thank you! I got it!" She screamed, rushing over to the counter.

"What?" Santana spun around, looking at Rachel in disbelief.

"I got it!" She exclaimed again, throwing herself into Puck's arms. He grinned and spun her around.

"I am so proud of you!" He exclaimed, kissing her quickly before she was swept into Kurt's arms.

::: ::: ::: :::

Funny Girl was a roaring success. Rachel was getting recognised all over town for her role and Puck was so proud of her. She had been offered a TV show in LA but she'd turned it down. It had actually caused a pretty big argument between the couple. Puck thought it was an amazing opportunity, as did all of her friends, but Rachel loved New York and she knew that Puck was happy there.

" _You're not doing this for me are you?" He asked, in the middle of a screaming match between the two of them._

" _I'm not letting you compromise your dreams for mine! You've worked too hard! There'll be other shows in the future!"_

She was glad that she'd stuck it out with Funny Girl because soon after, she was recruited for a reboot of Spring Awakening, a play which she absolutely loved.

Puck graduated college and applied for the NYPD, gaining a job which he loved. Things were really looking up for the couple.

As Rachel's run on Spring Awakening came to an end, she had a serious surprise one morning. At 22, she had never imagined having a child so early.

::: ::: ::: :::

She sat in the bathroom, on top of the closed toilet, staring at the test in her hand. That little pink plus sign seemed to stare right back at her. It wasn't that she wasn't happy. She was ecstatic. She wanted Puck's children but she was so young and there were so many risks.

"Baby? Where you at?" Puck's voice called through the apartment but Rachel still couldn't move. She was frozen in place. "Rach?"

He entered the bathroom and stopped suddenly when he saw what was in her hands. They both stayed there for a while until Rachel looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Are you upset?"

"Upset? Rach, this is unexpected sure but I could never be upset. I love you."

"I love you too. We're going to be parents."

"You better call my mom. She'll flip if she finds out she wasn't the first one to know."

::: ::: ::: :::


End file.
